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an Empire in India
Jahangir
Nur Jahan
Sikh
Shah Jahan
MAIN IDEA WHY IT MATTERS NOW Taj Mahal
The Mughal Empire brought Turks, The legacy of great art and deep social Aurangzeb
Persians, and Indians together in a division left by the Mughal Empire still
vast empire. influences southern Asia.
SETTING THE STAGE In the late 15th century, India included lush lands studded
with cities and temples. The Hindu lower classes labored in the service of their
Muslim or Hindu masters. At the same time, nomadic warriors roamed the highlands
to the northwest, eager for battle.
the city. Delhi eventually was rebuilt. But it was not until the 16th century that a
leader arose who would unify the empire.
Babur Founds an Empire In 1494, an 11-year-old boy named Babur inherited a
kingdom in the area that is now Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. It was only a tiny kingdom,
and his elders soon took it away and drove him south. But the boy built up an army.
In the years that followed, he swept down into India and laid the groundwork for the
vast Mughal Empire.
Babur was a strong, sensitive leader. According to legend, he could leap a wall Background
holding a man under each arm. But he also wrote poetry and loved art and gardens. One of the secrets of
Baburs success is that
He was a brilliant general as well. In 1526, for example, Babur led 12,000 troops to he lashed cannons
victory against an army of 100,000 commanded by a sultan of Delhi. Perhaps it was together to fire mas-
his sensitivity to his soldiers that made him such an effective leader: sive volleys against
troops mounted on
A V O I C E F R O M T H E PA S T elephants.
Some in the army were very anxious and full of fear. Nothing recommends anxiety and
fear. . . . Why? Because what God has fixed in eternity cannot be changed. But . . . it
was no reproach to be afraid and anxious. . . . Why? Because those thus anxious and
afraid were there with a two or three months journey between them and their homes;
our affair was with a foreign tribe and people; none knew their tongue, nor did they
know ours.
BABUR, The Babur-Nama (Memoirs of Babur)
A year later, Babur also defeated a massive Rajput army. After Baburs death, his
incompetent son, Humayun, lost most of the territory Babur had gained. Baburs 13-
year-old grandson took over the throne after Humayuns death.
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Akbars Successors
With Akbars death in 1605, the Mughal court changed to deal with the changing
times. The next three emperors were powerful men, and each left his mark on the
Mughal Empire.
Women Rulers
hold India in a powerful grasp. It was not his own hand in the iron
Since World War II, India has seen glove, though, since Jahangir was an extremely weak ruler. For most
the rise of several powerful women. of his reign, he left the affairs of state to his wife.
Unlike Nur Jahan, however, they Jahangirs wife was the Persian princess Nur Jahan. She was a
achieved power on their ownnot remarkably talented women with a variety of interests. Tiger hunting
through their husbands.
Indira Gandhi headed the
was among her favorite pastimes, and she rode horses with legendary
Congress-I Party and dominated skill. She composed poetry whenever the mood struck her. She also
Indian politics for almost 30 years. designed clothes that still influence Indian fashions. Above all, she
She was elected prime minister in was a brilliant politician who perfectly understood the use of power.
1966 and again in 1980. Gandhi was
assassinated in 1984 by Sikh
As the real ruler of India from 1611 to 1622, she installed her father
terrorists. as prime minister in the Mughal court. She saw Jahangirs son
In neighboring Pakistan, Benazir Khusrau as her ticket to future power. But when Khusrau rebelled
Bhutto (shown below), took charge against his father, Nur Jahan ousted him. She then shifted her favor
of the Pakistan Peoples Party after
to another son, the future emperor, Shah Jahan.
her father was executed by his
political enemies. She won election This rejection of Khusrau affected more than the political future
as her countrys prime minister in of the empire. It was also the basis of a long and bitter religious con-
1988the first woman to run a flict. Both Nur Jahan and Jahangir rejected Akbars religious toler-
modern Muslim state. Pakistans ance and tried to promote only Islam in the Mughal state. When
president unseated her, but she
was reelected in 1993. In 1996, Khusrau rebelled against his father, he turned to the Sikhs. This was
however, the president again a nonviolent religious group whose doctrines blended Buddhism,
ousted her from office. The Hinduism, and Sufism (Islamic mysticism). Their leader, Guru THINK THROUGH HISTORY
supreme court ruled that her Arjun, sheltered Khusrau and defended him. In response, the B. Analyzing
government was corrupt. Ironically, Causes How did the
that was partially because her Mughal rulers had Arjun arrested and tortured to death. The Sikhs Mughals dislike of
husband had made corrupt thus became the target of the Mughals particular hatred. the Sikhs develop?
business deals. B. Answer They
Shah Jahan Like his grandfather, Shah Jahan was a cultured man. sheltered and
He could not tolerate competition, however, and secured his throne defended Jahangirs
son, who had rebelled
by assassinating all his possible rivals. But he did have a great passion for two things: against his father.
beautiful buildings and his wife Mumtaz Mahal (moom TAHZ mah HAHL). Nur
Jahan had arranged this marriage between Jahangirs son and her niece for political
reasons. Shah Jahan, however, fell genuinely in love with his Persian princess.
In 1631, Mumtaz Mahal died at age 38 giving birth to her 14th child. Empire has
no sweetness, the heartbroken Shah Jahan lamented, life has no relish for me now.
To enshrine his wifes memory, he ordered that a tomb be built as beautiful as she
was beautiful. Fine white marble and fabulous jewels were gathered from many parts
of Asia. Some 20,000 workers labored for 22 years to build the famous tomb now
known as the Taj Mahal. This memorial has been called one of the most beautiful Background
buildings in the world. Its towering marble dome and slender towers look like lace Shortly after Shah
Jahan spent huge
and seem to change color as the sun moves across the sky. The inside of the building sums of money on
is as magnificent as the exterior. It is a glittering garden of thousands of carved marble the Taj Mahal, King
flowers inlaid with tiny precious stones. Louis XIV began
building his elaborate
Shah Jahan also built the Red Fort at Delhi and completed the Peacock Throne, a palace at Versailles.
priceless seat of gold encrusted with diamonds, rubies, emeralds, and pearls. The Both rulers heavily
throne has a canopy that displays the figure of a peacock lined with blue sapphires. taxed their people to
pay for their extrava-
This magnificent throne was lost to the conqueror Nadir Shah in 1739.
gance.
The People Suffer But while Shah Jahan was building lovely things, his country was
suffering. A Dutch merchant who was in India during a famine at that time reported
that . . . men abandoned towns and villages and wandered helplessly . . . eyes sunk
deep in head, lips pale and covered with slime, the skin hard, the bones showing
through. . . . Farmers needed tools, roads, and ways of irrigating their crops and deal-
ing with Indias harsh environment. What they got instead were taxes and more taxes
to support the building of monuments, their rulers extravagant living, and war.
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All was not well in the royal court either. When Shah Jahan became ill in 1657, his Set in a formal
THINK THROUGH HISTORY four sons scrambled for the throne. The third son, Aurangzeb (AWR uhng zehb),
garden and
mirrored in a
C. Making moved first and most decisively. In a bitter civil war, he executed his older brother,
reflecting pool, the
Inferences Do you who was his most serious rival. Then he arrested his father and put him in prison. Taj Mahal draws
think Shah Jahans
policies helped or
When Shah Jahan died several years later, a mirror was found in his room, angled so tourists to Agra,
that he could gaze from his cell at the reflection of the Taj Mahal. Aurangzeb, how- southeast of New
harmed the Mughal
Delhi in India. It
Empire? ever, had his eyes on the empire. remains a
C. Possible Answer
monument to both
HelpedLeft lasting Aurangzeb Aurangzeb ruled from 1658 to 1707. He was a master at military strategy love and the
legacy of architecture. and an aggressive empire builder. Although he expanded the Mughal holdings to their Mughal Empire.
HarmedDid not
improve the hard lives
greatest size, the power of the empire weakened during his reign.
of his people. This loss of power was due largely to Aurangzebs oppression of the people. He
rigidly enforced Islamic laws, outlawing drinking, gambling, and other vices. He also
appointed censors to police his subjects morals and make sure they prayed at the
appointed times. He also tried to erase all the gains Hindus had made under Akbar. For
example, he brought back the hated tax on non-Muslims and dismissed Hindus from
high positions in his government. He banned the construction of new temples and had
Hindu monuments destroyed. Not surprisingly, these actions outraged the Hindus.
The Hindu Rajputs, whom Akbar had converted from potential enemies to allies,
rebelled. Aurangzeb defeated them repeatedly, but never completely. In the south-
west, militant Hindus called Marathas founded their own breakaway state. Aurangzeb
captured their leader, but the Marathas turned to guerrilla warfare. Aurangzeb could
never conquer them. Meanwhile, the Sikhs had transformed themselves into a militant
brotherhood. They began to build a state in the Punjab, an area in northwest India.
Connect to History
Making Inferences What can
you conclude about the lives of
women in the Mughal court?
SEE SKILLBUILDER
HANDBOOK, PAGE R16
Section 3 Assessment
1. TERMS & NAMES 2. TAKING NOTES 3. COMPARING AND 4. ANALYZING THEMES
Identify Using a time line like the one CONTRASTING Power and Authority Do you
Mughal below, indicate the effects each In what ways was the golden age think Shah Jahan made good use
Babur leader had on the Mughal Empire. of Akbar similar to and different of his power and authority? Why
Akbar Write positive effects above the from the flowering of the Safavid or why not?
Jahangir line and negative effects below. Empire under Shah Abbas and of THINK ABOUT
Nur Jahan Effects on Mughal Empire the Ottoman Empire under how Shah Jahan came to power
Sikh + Suleiman I? the beautiful buildings he built
Shah Jahan THINK ABOUT conditions in India during his
Taj Mahal the rulers cultural and military reign
Babur Akbar Jahangir/ Shah Aurangzeb
Aurangzeb Nur Jahan Jahan achievements
their tolerance of other cultures
their successors